Sparse

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice: imissthebarber - yes, I've been doing the laxity exercises with something bordering on religious fervor (!); have already noticed some improvement on that front (greater scalp looseness). Acrobaz - I love the idea of using Nanogen just to conceal the donor scar, but avoiding the risk of using it on the recipient grafts. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have some pinkness in the recipient area for several weeks (just based on the way I heal from cuts & scrapes), so I may need to talk to Dr. Hasson and his staff about finding a completely safe way to mask that redness (if such a way exists). HairIsThere - The bandana idea is a great one, although I just don't know if I'm cool enough to pull off that look. (Have a feeling I'd wind up looking like a dorky version of Little Steven from Springsteen's band.) Phil_Harmonic - Thanks for the thoughtful advice about hat placement and removal. I have a large head (hat size 7 1/2 - 7 5/8), so I'm a little worried that the "extra large" black hat at H&W might still be too snug! But I'll be sure to talk with Joe about this beforehand and make necessary arrangements. ;-) Ciao, Sparse

Thanks. I know there's a critical period during which the grafts need to anchor themselves in the recipient tissue . . . is 2 weeks the critical window of vulnerability?

Hi All, I'm taking the plunge for a mega-session with Dr. Hasson in late July (NW5 with good density, hoping for 4000+ grafts). So, here's my question: How safe is it to wear a hat or use concealers after the surgery? Is there any evidence that either can damage the new grafts? (I've noticed that most of my ballcaps put a little pressure on the recipient area.) I teach large classes at a major university and give occasional talks in the community, and I'm not crazy about just showing up in front of students a few weeks post-HT with a pinkish, odd-looking scalp . . . but I'd rather do that than risk damaging those precious incipient grafts! Any advice is most welcome. Thanks, Sparse

Hi All, I'm taking the plunge for a mega-session with Dr. Hasson in late July (NW5 with good density, hoping for 4000+ grafts). So, here's my question: How safe is it to wear a hat or use concealers after the surgery? Is there any evidence that either can damage the new grafts? (I've noticed that most of my ballcaps put a little pressure on the recipient area.) I teach large classes at a major university and give occasional talks in the community, and I'm not crazy about just showing up in front of students a few weeks post-HT with a pinkish, odd-looking scalp . . . but I'd rather do that than risk damaging those precious incipient grafts! Any advice is most welcome. Thanks, Sparse

One quick addendum: I've noticed that most of my hats (ballcaps) apply a bit of pressure to the recipient area . . . I assume this is a no-no right after HT?

Thanks so much! I'll be taking you up on the kind offer . . .

Hi All, I'm taking the plunge for a mega-session with Dr. Hasson in late July (NW5 with good density, hoping for 4000+ grafts). So, here's my question: How safe is it to wear a hat or use concealers after the surgery? Is there any evidence that either can damage the new grafts? I teach large classes at a major university and give occasional talks in the community, and I'm not crazy about just showing up in front of students a few weeks post-HT with a pinkish, odd-looking scalp . . . but I'd rather do that than risk damaging those precious incipient grafts! Any advice is most welcome. Thanks, Sparse

Will do! Thanks.

Thanks, asasas. This is incredibly helpful.

It certainly makes sense that if you can pinch lots of skin in the area then you have good laxity, but I have no idea what qualifies as "lots" of skin? When I pinch in the area I get a vertical bulge away from the scalp of less than 1/2 inch. Also, how far (in inches) do your hands travel from the top of the upstroke to the bottom of the downstroke during your laxity exercises? For me, it's about an inch.

Hi All, After a couple years of research and deliberation (and saving), I've decided to take the HT plunge: I'm scheduled with Dr. Hasson for 4000-4500 grafts in late July! I've started doing laxity exercises, of course (as illustrated by Joe on the H&W website), but it feels like I'm not getting a ton of up-down movement during each repetition. Specifically, my hands at the top of the "up" motion are only about 1 inch higher than they are at the bottom of the "down" motion. Does anyone know if this is good, bad, or otherwise? It seems like the scalp is a tad looser than it was a few weeks ago when I began the exercises in earnest, but I'd love to get some feedback about this! Thanks in advance, Sparse

Hi All, After a couple years of research and deliberation (and saving), I've decided to take the HT plunge: I'm scheduled with Dr. Hasson for 4000-4500 grafts in late July! I've started doing laxity exercises, of course (as illustrated by Joe on the H&W website), but it feels like I'm not getting a ton of up-down movement during each repetition. Specifically, my hands at the top of the "up" motion are only about 1 inch higher than they are at the bottom of the "down" motion. Does anyone know if this is good, bad, or otherwise? It seems like the scalp is a tad looser than it was a few weeks ago when I began the exercises in earnest, but I'd love to get some feedback about this! Thanks in advance, Sparse

Dr. Lindsey, Do you mind if I ask why you stopped taking the propecia despite its efficacy? I ask mainly because I tried propecia last year, and (despite a nice response) eventually decided to discontinue due to side effects: specifically, it led to a high level of chronic irritability (my wife and daughter said the change was striking and immediate). A little research also turned up a few articles suggesting that 5-alpha reductase blockade may disrupt some CNS-specific androgen pathways - which I suppose could lead to neurocognitive changes (admittedly speculative). In any case, I'd be curious to hear why you quit, and whether or not you recommend propecia to your own patients. I have toyed with the idea of trying it again at a low dose of 1/4 mg/day (I've previously tried it at 1 mg, then reduced to 1/2mg - to no avail). Best wishes, Sparse P.S. Although the question is addressed to Dr. Lindsey, other responses are welcome.

Thanks, kaounis. I would like to think that such infections are rare, but it would be great to see some actual data on this. Has anything been published? Also, how many other cases of post-HT infection have ever been posted on this forum?

Yes, these were the only two cases of follicle infection I found. It's weird that both were Dr. Rahal patients, and that both occurred within the past month. (For the record, I have great respect for Dr. Rahal's work, so this thread is in no way meant to diminish it.) I'm eager to get other reactions - perhaps from one or more HT docs or other experts on this forum? Also, I think I've seen Pearson on this forum in the past . . . it would be great if he could be persuaded to weigh in.

Hi All, I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster (NW 4-5, considering HT surgery this summer/fall). Earlier today I spent a little time surfing hair loss blogs on the Hair Transplant Network, just to get a better feel for the patient results of various surgeons - and I noticed that in the past month at least two patients ("Gunter" and "Pearson") have reported follicle infections in their respective transplant regions within a month or two of surgery. Here are their blogs, just in case you haven't seen them: http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1150 http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1102 I can only assume that such infections can't be good for the incipient grafts, and it leads me to wonder: 1) What is the risk (prevalence rate) of such infection following the ht surgery? 2) What harm does such an infection inflict on the transplanted follicles? If so, what (if anything) can surgeons do to remedy the situation? 3) What can be done to prevent such infections? Many thanks in advance for your help with this. - Sparse